Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.
-Edgar Degas
The artistic mediums we use shape our conception of art. A watercolorist will view a landscape scene with different eyes than a sketch artist, photographer, or sculptor. This is part of what makes art special - the mediums not only shape our conception of art but of the world we live in and of ourselves.
The introduction of a new medium, then, is both disruptive and exhilarating. It is disruptive because it threatens whatever tenuous balance has been achieved with the existing mediums; it is exhilarating because it promises a new lens through which we can view the world and ourselves. As individuals, we can either decry the disruption or embrace the exhilaration.
With AI Art, I have tried to do both. Mostly, I admit, I have embraced the medium. But that does not mean I am blind to or dismissive of the significant disruptions. I will not list them here, save one. This is the one that concerns me most. Up until now, all of the mediums have helped us explore ourselves and our world in different ways, amplifying our voices. AI Art can amplify an artist's voice, but it more than any other medium holds the danger of drowning that voice out.
Simply put, it is too easy to make pleasing and even "amazing" images with AI. I am not making the argument that art requires effort. That argument can be made, and it can be refuted. Rather, I am arguing that in order to see ourselves and the world through new eyes, we must, at the very least, engage fully with our art. AI makes it easy to create on auto-pilot and still get pleasing results.
I am not suggesting that AI Art has no value, nor am I turning away from creating with AI. Rather, I am encouraging myself to stay true to what matters to me - learning. As long as I continue learning with AI Art, I will continue to invest in it.
What did I learn in creating the image above? In my research for the prompt, I became reacquainted with some Taoist principles. I relearned Lao Tzu's saying "When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be." I learned that the Fey originated in Celtic Mythology, though they can be found in many cultures. And I learned of several Sumi-e masters, each of whom I will explore more over time.
That is what AI Art means to me.
Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.
-Bansky
Σχόλια